Skip to content
LessonPrint

Gold, Spices and Glory is a free printable Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies worksheet on the incentives behind European exploration, aligned to C3 Framework indicator D2.Eco.2.3-5. It prints 8 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.

Set 15 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.

Next set

One paper per student

12345678910111213141516171819202122232425

Set 1 has all 25 in a single PDF. All 25 sets ask different questions.

Gold, Spices and Glory

D2.Eco.2.3-5

NameDate

Choose the best answer.

1.Coronado hoped for fame and wealth if he found the "Seven Cities of Gold." What happened?
  • A.He found a sea route to Asia
  • B.He found no cities of gold
  • C.He found seven golden cities
2.Why did the French come to North America in the 1600s?
  • A.To drill for oil
  • B.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
  • C.To grow rice
3.Columbus sailed west in 1492. Who paid for his voyage?
  • A.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
  • B.The Haudenosaunee Grand Council
  • C.The king of France
4.Which was a positive incentive for Spanish explorers?
  • A.The chance to find gold and silver
  • B.The chance of shipwreck
  • C.The danger of disease
5.Glory was an incentive too. What did glory mean for an explorer?
  • A.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  • B.A kind of spice
  • C.A free ship
6.What did the arrival of explorers bring to Native nations?
  • A.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  • B.Nothing changed for Native nations
  • C.Only gifts and help
7.Why did kings and queens pay for voyages?
  • A.To claim land and riches for their countries
  • B.To give their land away
  • C.To keep their sailors at home
8.Why were spices worth so much in Europe?
  • A.Spices were the only food in Europe
  • B.They flavored food and came from very far away
  • C.Spices grew everywhere in Europe

LessonPrint · D2.Eco.2.3-5 · Set 15 · free to copy for classroom use

Answer key — Gold, Spices and Glory

Set 15. Prints on its own sheet.

  1. 1.He found no cities of gold
  2. 2.To trade with Native nations for beaver furs
  3. 3.Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain
  4. 4.The chance to find gold and silver
  5. 5.Fame and honor at home for great discoveries
  6. 6.New diseases that killed many people, and the loss of land
  7. 7.To claim land and riches for their countries
  8. 8.They flavored food and came from very far away

Last reviewed 2026-09-05. Aligned to D2.Eco.2.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.